How agents work in stagewise

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.stagewise.io/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

An AI coding agent in stagewise is a model-powered assistant that reads, reasons about, and modifies your codebase through a structured loop. It’s not autocomplete — it’s an agent that thinks, acts, observes, and repeats until your task is done.

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The agent loop

Each message goes through a cycle of reasoning and action: The loop continues until the agent completes your request or needs your input. Say you type: “Add input validation to the signup form.”

1. Receive context — The agent reads your message along with WORKSPACE.md, open files, any @mentions, and DOM context you’ve attached
2. Reason — The model identifies the signup form component, checks what validation patterns the project uses, and plans what to change
3. Act — The agent uses tools: reads the form component file, searches for existing validation patterns, edits the file with the new logic
4. Observe — Tool results (the file contents, search matches, edit confirmation) are fed back to the agent
5. Repeat or respond — If more changes are needed (e.g., adding error messages, updating styles), the agent loops again. Otherwise, it responds: “Added input validation to the signup form. The form now checks…”

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Tools the agent can use

Agents have direct filesystem access through a set of built-in tools:

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How the agent understands your project

The agent builds understanding from several sources before reasoning:

• WORKSPACE.md — Auto-generated project analysis in .stagewise/ that maps your codebase structure, dependencies, and architecture
• Skills — Custom SKILL.md files you create to teach the agent project-specific patterns and constraints
• AGENTS.md — Optional project instruction file (disabled by default)
• @mentions — Files and tabs you explicitly reference in your message
• DOM context — Web elements you select from the browser viewport

All of these feed into a single reasoning pass. Learn how context assembly works →

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Multiple agents

stagewise supports multiple agent instances running in parallel. Each agent has its own chat session and can use a different model. Switch between agents with Ctrl+Tab. Typical multi-agent setups:

• One agent on frontend changes, another on backend logic
• A fast model for simple refactors, a powerful model for complex architecture work
• Separate chats for separate tasks — keeps each conversation focused

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What agents can’t do

Agents operate within the boundaries of your workspace access and tool permissions:

• Cannot access files outside your connected workspaces
• Cannot install system-level software without your explicit shell confirmation
• Cannot browse to external URLs without your direction
• Every file edit is tracked and reviewable — nothing happens silently

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What’s next